Barnes returning to UNC

Harrison Barnes will return to UNC for the 2011-2012 year.Freshman Harrison Barnes of Iowa decided not to declare for the NBA Draft and stay for his sophomore season at UNC.

"I look forward to meeting the challenging journey in the NBA, but my decision on November 13, 2009, still holds true," Barnes said. "I'm focused on being a student-athlete. And my decision is to continue this part of my journey at the University of North Carolina."

"He had a difficult decision to make," UNC head coach Roy Williams said. "He really had no wrong decision to choose, but I believe he is coming back to school because he enjoys college basketball, he enjoys the University of North Carolina and he enjoys his teammates."

The Ames, Iowa, native earned second-team All-ACC honors. He was named to the ACC Tournament and NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Teams.

The Tar Heels ended their season with a trip to the Elite Eight where they were defeated by the Kentucky Wildcats.